Broken Arrows
by SwiftstarOfTheSingingWind
Summary: This is my theory on the mysterious past of Artemis. This is only my speculation. And in this story, there will be definite WallyxArtemis pairing. Preview: "I'll give you a choice, come with me and live, or I kill you on this spot."
1. The Revealing

This is my theory on Artemis's past. Hope you enjoy my idea! (Plus a little bit of KF/Artemis thrown in, lol couldn't help it! But that won't be until later.)

I don't own Young Justice, if I did, why would I even be here?

(if my theory ends up being even close to similar, I will be so freaking happy!)

It starts with Artemis dreaming. I hope I did the third person point of view correctly. I honestly suck at it.

-It begins-

_A chilling wind blew throughout the room. A young girl, no older than nine, stood in the middle of the room, staring at the grisly scene before her. Time seemed to stand still as a dark figure stood over the body of the child's mother. Blood pooled around the woman's dead body and the child gives away her presence with a tiny whimper._

"_M-mama…" _

_The dark figure quickly turns to find the small child, almost afraid she had been discovered by the villagers. An eerie laugh escapes the killer's lips, confirming her to be a woman._

"_Well, well. What do we have here? The target's brat, eh? Seems like I'll have to add another victim, my superior's won't like it though." The murderer approaches the tiny child, a small dagger in her hand._

"_Aren't you going to run? Scream? Hmmmm…you're not even crying. Maybe I can use you. The Shadows are always looking for new recruits." She puts the dagger to the child's throat. The tiny girl looks her straight in the eye._

"_Why? What have you done to mama? Why isn't she moving?" The assassin notices the child's dark blue eyes are unflinching. The woman gives the child an evil smirk._

"_I killed her. She's dead. Your mother will never speak to you again." Her grip on the dagger tightens as she prepares to slit the girl's throat should she decide to scream._

_The assassin continues, "I'll give you a choice, come with me and live, or I kill you on this spot."_

_The girl's hands are shaking. She may not show it on her face, but she is terrified. It takes all of her courage to finally say, "I, will go."_

"_Good choice brat. From this moment on, you will cease to be a normal human. You will forget everything you once knew. Whatever you were once called, you shall never answer to it again. You are now a Shadow. You no longer have a name. "_

"_Can I bring one thing with me? It is the bow and arrows my mother kept to remember my father by."_

_The woman grunts in annoyance but let's her retrieve them regardless. "You'd better know how to use it."_

"_I do." They are the last words the girl speaks before she leaves her former home with her new master._

_-flash forward through the next few years-_

_Through the next few years, the girl experiences arduous training. Every day is a battle against other recruits, trying to prove their worth to the organization because if they don't the worst awaits them._

_She is currently fighting against a fellow recruit. She knows her opponent well, as they have trained together many a time and they are quite "friendly" with each other. It is a battle that determines whether they will become a true Shadow, or whether they will ousted from the organization. The battle is intense._

"_I refuse to lose." A girl with long blonde hair says as she aims at her larger opponent with her green compound bow. Several arrows are released as she attempts to hit her male opponent._

_He dodges to the side as her arrows lodge themselves into the wall behind him. He slides a deadly sharp sword out of its sheath and rushes towards the archer. As the gap closes between the two, she straps her bow to her back and slides into a fighting stance._

_Her opponent makes a slash in her direction and as she slides past him, he whispers, "Even if it means I will be disposed of?" The archer hesitates for only the briefest of moments, but it is enough for the boy, nearly a man, to deftly sweep her legs out from under her with a kick. As she falls, she draws several arrows out of the pack on her back and uses them to block the sword that is aimed at her neck._

"_Whatever it takes…" Are the last words she speaks for the rest of the fight._

_After a bloody battle, the girl limps out of the stadium that was used for the battle as the winner. She does not feel triumphant. Although she did not kill her opponent, she knows what his fate will be and the guilt is crushing her. She does not let her feelings show; however, as showing guilt or fear of any kind is strictly prohibited. She has been through many similar battles since she first came to the Shadows, but the guilt is much worse than it normally is. He had told her his former name before he came to the Shadows. It was the last thing he told her before he conceded defeat. "Ethan" She knows she will never forget it._

_She heads back to her masters quarters, it is the same woman who killed her mother years prior. _

"_I have won my battle. I am no longer your apprentice once the superiors give me my first mission."_

"_Good job. You know, I never thought you'd make it this far." The woman smirks at the girl as she turns and leaves._

_The archer returns to her own room and collapses on her bed. A soft sigh comes from her lips. She realizes she is doomed to become like her mother's killer if she doesn't find a way to escape. _

"_Mama…" She continues to whisper the word over and over like a chant, wishing time would reverse and she would be back at home listening to a sweet lullaby sang by her mother as she slowly drifts away into a blissful slumber. _

"_Mama…"_

-The Green Arrows home-

"Mama…" Artemis slowly opens her eyes. She sluggishly gets up from her comfortable bed to open her curtains. It is the middle of the night.

"That dream, again." A soft sigh escapes her mouth as she makes her way to the kitchen to find something to eat, and possibly get her mind off her dreams of the past.

Fairly loudly, she gets a glass from the cupboard and retrieves the milk from the fridge and fills the glass as full as she dares. She didn't have to worry about waking her "Uncle Oliver" because he is on patrol, but before she is able to take her first sip, she is grabbed from behind and slammed against the counter in front of her.

"What the hell?" Artemis fights against her attacker by smashing the back of her head into their nose. Startled, the attackers grip loosens and Artemis slips free from the tight grasp, instinctively reaching for her bow and arrows, only to realize she does not have them. Artemis ducks as a sharp projectile comes whizzing towards her face and she tries to kick her attacker in the knees, but gasps as a short knife is plunged into her thigh.

The attacker laughs as Artemis tries to regain her footing, having lost it when she was struck.

"It is pointless to fight it; I am taking you with me. The poison that coats the knife in your leg is fast acting. You will soon be rendered paralyzed." Artemis scowls as she feels the poison working on her senses. The area where she was hit was already beginning to go numb.

"Who are you?" She shouted at her attacker.

"The Shadows want revenge on you. It was not wise for you to run away like that. At least you joined something like the Justice Leagues little sidekick group. We could use a little info. on some of their identities. I do believe you can help us with that, can't you?" A sick laughter resounds through the room as the Shadow operative removes her mask. It is her former "mentor".

"You! Why do you haunt me?"

"You know, I never thought I'd find you after you bolted. But then I found you when I was ordered to kill Dr. Roquette…haha. Now I can get my revenge for your betrayal. Do you know how embarrassing it was when my peers found out that my only protégé got away from me? You knew too much about the Shadows when you left, and the punishment fell to me! You will suffer for your disobedience before you die, but until then I'll just have to take you back to base. Looks like the poison is taking full affect."

Artemis tries to open her mouth to retaliate with a smart remark, but nothing comes out as she is fully paralyzed. She slips into darkness as she is hoisted over her captors back.

-the next day-

All of the Young Justice team has been called to Mount Justice. Batman and the Green Arrow have a mission for them. But the two mentors have a grim presence as the teams shuffles in one by one.

Kid Flash a.k.a Wally West is the first to arrive. He zooms up to the front.

"Hey, Bats! What's our mission? Come on you can tell me!" The energetic speedster zooms around Batman, happy to have a new mission.

Kaldur and Superboy are next, and they make their way in quietly, trying to ignore the pesky speedster.

"You can wait until the others arrive Wally…" Green Arrow tells the young boy.

"Awwwwww. Fine! I can wait…." The young man walks over to stand next to Robin as the Boy Wonder appears in the room.

Last to arrive is Miss Martian. She floats over next to Superboy as Wally tries to give her a flirtatious grin that she doesn't notice.

Batman begins to speak. "Now that everyone is present—"

"But we are missing Artemis Batman." Kaldur interrupts the imposing bat.

There is a slight moment of silence before Green Arrow explains.

"That is the reason for your gathering. She…has been kidnapped." The Green Arrow has a sad look on his face, "And not just by anybody. She has been kidnapped by the Shadows."

The youths standing in front of the established hero share a collective gasp.

Kid Flash is the first to speak, "But why would the Shadows want her?"

The Green Arrow hesitates for a moment before speaking again, "I know she will be mad at me for telling you this, but I think you all need to know. Artemis is not my niece."


	2. The Green Arrow tells all

I don't own Young Justice, if I did, why would I even be here?

-**begin chapter**-

Another collective gasp resounds among the teens. "What?" Wally, again, is the first to speak. "Why the hell did you lie about it then?"

"You see, not long ago, Artemis was a part of the League of Shadows, unwillingly of course, and was about to become a full-fledged assassin before she cracked under the pressure and ran away from the Shadows." He pauses for breath, "She was on the run for nearly a year before I found her. I was patrolling the city when I saw her."

_**-flashback-**_

_Atop of a building overlooking one of Star City's many alleyways stood the Green Arrow. Beneath him a young teenager has been cornered by two much larger men._

_The Green Arrow prepares to jump down and assist the young woman, but before he can the blonde teen starts fighting her attackers, quickly knocking them to the ground. Sufficiently stunned, the Green Arrow decides to wait before approaching the girl._

_Now that the two men have been subdued, the teen begins to question them, "Who sent you?" Her voice has a forceful tone in it as she continues, "Was it the Shadows?" The girl reaches down and lifts one of the men up by his collar, "What is your reason for assaulting me?" His breath catches in his throat, wondering what such a young girl would have to do with the Shadows._

_The Green Arrow, deciding it is best to keep the girl from being to brutal with the men, reveals his presence._

"_Hello girl." She immediately drops the man to the ground before pulling a small crossbow out and points it in the direction of his voice._

"_Who are you?" Her voice shakes slightly._

"_I am not here to harm you missy." The Green Arrow say before calmly stepping into the light with his hands away from his weapon, showing that he is not hostile. "I just want to know how such a young girl became so good at fighting. I also wish to know what the League of Shadows would want with you."_

_He can see her grip tighten on the crossbow as he mentions the Shadows. "You know of the Shadows, huh. How do I know you are not with them?" She gives him a skeptical glance. "It wouldn't be the first time the Shadows have lied to get close to me."_

_The Green Arrow sighs as he prepares to prove to her he is not hostile. "Well for one thing, why would a super-hero be a part of such an evil organization? Secondly, if I was going to harm you, I would have done it when you were not aware of my presence. Thirdly,-" _

"_That is enough." The girl lowers her bow before giving the Green Arrow a wary glance. "I believe you are not a Shadow, but I still don't trust you." The Green Arrow stands speechless for a moment, before giving a hearty laugh._

"_What makes you so sure that I am not lying?"_

_A small smile tugs at the corners of the girl's mouth before she answers, "You're too chatty to be an assassin from the Shadows. Normally the assassins they send don't talk to me and if they do it's barely even two words. Now, will you tell me who you are?"_

"_I am the Green Arrow, protector of Star City and master archer extraordinaire." The Green Arrow introduces himself with as much flair as he can use. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, er, I don't believe I caught your name miss."_

_The girl looks panicked for a second before answering, "I don't have a name, but if you must call me by something, call me Artemis." There is a serious look on her face._

_The Green Arrow chuckles, "That's a very bold thing to call yourself. The goddess of the hunt, who uses a bow and arrow. Do you know how to use a bow, Artemis?" Curiosity tinges his voice. This girl is proving to be quite interesting._

_Artemis smirks at him, "Yes, I do. Quite skillfully if I do say so myself."_

_The two are interrupted as a bullet pierces the air between them. One of the men she had knocked out is pointing a gun in her direction. Both the Green Arrow and Artemis leap behind a nearby dumpster._

"_Damn, I thought he'd be down for a while!"_

_The man begins to speak, "The Shadows told me to not use a gun if possible, but you've pissed me of girlie! They said to bring you back dead or alive. I choose dead!" Several more shots ring out as the man laughs manically._

_The Green Arrow turns to Artemis, holding his bow and arrows out to her. "Prove you are as good as you say by shooting that gun out of his hand!" _

_She looks at him doubtfully before she takes the items from him and prepares to shoot. Dashing out from her hiding place, Artemis raises her bow and lets loose several arrows before jumping to a safe place behind a trash can._

"_God damn-it!" The man drops his gun to the ground as he clutches his hand is pain. She had hit her mark. Seeing an opportunity, Green Arrow jumps over the dumpster and tackles the man to the ground, subduing him._

"_You are as good as you say Artemis." Green Arrow says as he handcuff the villains to a nearby pipe. "If you don't want to be explaining to the police why these men were pursuing you, I suggest you follow me."_

_Hesitantly, Artemis nods in acceptance as she follows him back to his home._

_**-end flashback-**_

"And that is how I met her. After we got back to my house, I asked her to be my new protégé since Speed-I mean Red Arrow decided to go solo. I told her that becoming a part of Young Justice would be safer than just wandering around hoping the Shadows don't find her." The Green Arrow sighs. "And now it seems they have."

"Your mission is to rescue her. I fear we do not have much time before they decide to dispose of her."

Kaldur is the next to speak up, "How do you know it is the League of Shadows that has captured her?"

"They left a short dagger in the kitchen. It had the Shadows insignia as well as a small amount of Artemis's blood on it."

"Do you know where they are keeping her?" Miss Martian asks with concern for her "Earth sister".

"We have a hunch she is still in Star City somewhere, but we have no clue where." Batman answers.

Megan grimaces for a brief moment, but a small smile graces her face as she says, "Hello, Megan! If I get close enough I can link to her mind and she can tell us where she is."

"That will have to do. You will all leave at once." The team piles into the Bio-ship and they take off for Star City.

**-In the Bio-ship-**

The tension in the ship is thick.

"Why the hell didn't she tell us this earlier?" Wally continues angrily, "I really don't like being lied to!"

"Look Wally, I'm sure she has her reasons for not wanting to tell us." Robin tries to calm his berated friend, "It's not like she had very good incentive to tell us before either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The fiery red-head questions his close friend.

"It's not like you gave her a very warm welcome in the first place, Wally. She probably thought you would use it as a reason to not accept her into the team."

Wally crosses his arms before retorting to Robin, "And how come you don't seem surprised about her past?"

"Well…." Robin looks towards his feet sheepishly, "Bats kind of told me when she joined. Heh-heh!"

"So you knew?" Wally is furious. "Why the hell didn't you tell us then?"

"Because it's her business, not mine! I'm sure she would have told us about this when she was ready. From what I've heard, the Shadows aren't too kind to their apprentice assassins. Bats told me she probably had to fight for her life everyday she was there." Robin is beginning to get peeved with his friends attitude. "I'm not quite sure about everything she's been through, but she's proven herself to be a member of this team and that's good enough for me!"

Wally falls silent. For the rest of the ride, he tries to focus on the mission at hand and question the blonde archer after they are safely back at Mount Justice.

"I just hope she's safe." Kaldur is the last to break the silence.

-**end chapter**-

Next chapter, the search for Artemis in Star City. Will they find her before the worst happens? And what has Artemis been going through since she's been kidnapped? Review!


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